1. Field of the Invention
This application relates broadly to a fiber optic sight for firearms. More particularly, it concerns an improved form of a fiber optic sight for use with firearms, including handguns and long arms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many fiber optic sights available currently but there are a number of problems with such sights. Generally the sights offer less illumination to the shooter's eyes than is possible for a number of reasons. One of these is that the fiber optic rod used in the sights is positioned so that the front end of the fiber optic rod is not exposed to the direction of aim. This is to ensure that the shooter's position is not exposed or given away to a target. The sight uses illumination by ambient light being exposed to the outside surface of the fiber optic rod which causes the dyes with the rod to fluoresce and hence to direct light towards the shooter's eyes, but the need to ensure minimal exposure of the forward end of the fiber optic rod has over-ridden the potential to provide increased illumination to the shooter. Another reason is that the thermoplastics used with such fiber optic sights provide a poor absorption percentage of the light that is exposed to the sides of the fiber optic rod, thus decreasing the amount of light available for illumination. A number of different approaches have been used to provide increased illumination to the shooter's eyes and these include U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,842 (Carlson) and U.S. Patent Application 2007/0107292 (Bar-Yona et al). Carlson discloses the use of an artificial light source in combination with a fiber optic rod with an angled cut at its end. He applied the light from the artificial light source onto the angled surface of the fiber optic rod from below the rod. Furthermore, he prevented ambient light from contacting the outer surface of the rod above the angled surface and covered the angled surface so that very little or no ambient light reached the angled portion of the fiber optic rod. Bar-Yona et al discloses a fiber optic rod that is positioned at the front of the sight whereby ambient light is exposed to the rod through the exterior surface of the rod. An artificial light source in the form of a tritium insert is positioned directly in front of the fiber optic rod and the light from the source is directed down the rod towards the shooter's eyes. There are also many patents disclosing the use of fiber optic rods whereby ambient light is exposed or directed onto the outer surface of the rod, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,638,604, 5,836,100, 5,956,854, 6,085,427, 6,122,833, 6,216,352, 6,360,472, and 6,421,946. However, a common feature of many of these patents is that the fiber optic rod is quite long. What is needed is a fiber optic sight that provides increased illumination to the shooter's eyes without exposing the end of the rod to the target. The fiber optic sight should use rods that are shorter in comparison to the prior art and ideally would fit within the original sight envelope. The fiber optic sight also should be able to be used with artificial light sources if required.
The present invention solves this issue by providing a fiber optic sight that provides for increased illumination with or without the use of an artificial light source. This is achieved by using a fiber optic rod that is angled at its forward end which allows ambient light from the exterior of the rod opposite the angled cut to reflect off the angled cut toward the shooters eyes.